In part two of the feature, Kieran Mailey describes some of the recommendations for draining ground presented at the CAFRE open event in early July.

The recent heatwave that has engulfed the country has led to ground drying out and becoming suitable for some form of drainage work, or aeration, to be carried out. Undertaking drainage work can be expensive and in many ways, its success is dependent on the soil type.

At the CAFRE open day, advice was presented on improving soil drainage through soil aeration, which was featured last week, mole ploughing, gravel tunnelling and traditional pipe and stone drains which are featured in this series of photographs.

The objective of field drainage is to lower the level of ground water so that it does not inhibit crop production or the field’s ability to carry livestock. With heavy soils, this can be difficult to do as water can be slow to move through the soil layers. Therefore drains must be placed closer together and a series of secondary drains, such as moles or gravel tunnels, will be required.